Behind Closed Doors
by aunexisteamor
Summary: In which Ardeth comes back to her. Ardeth & Angelina Series #2.


**Disclaimer:** The character of Ardeth Bay is the property of Stephen Sommers and Universal Studios. All other characters created and owned by me.

 **Author notes:** This is the 2st installment in my Ardeth  & Angelina Series. Takes place about one year after the events of The Mummy. Feedback welcomed.

 **Finished/published:** March 2002

 **Warnings/Content labels:** Author chooses not to warn

* * *

He didn't make a sound, nor did he give any other warning of his presence. All the same, the small hairs prickled on the back of her neck, and Angelina _knew._ She could feel his presence as clearly as if he'd touched her. He was behind her.

Slowly Angelina turned around until she came face to face with him, gripping the heavy volume of medical knowledge with both hands and hugging it close to her chest. She had left the window open to let in the cool evening air after the heat of the day, and he stood in front of it, the epitome of tall, dark and handsome. Her heart leapt as if it would jump right out of her chest before it settled to beat twice as fast as normally. It had been three weeks to the day since she had last seen him. Three weeks, during which she had remembered and wondered, hoped and desired. And now there he was, and she wondered if he would love her again as he had that night. She had been able to think of little else, had been dreaming about him in her comfortable bed, waking more than once in the middle of the night aroused and frustrated.

Crossing the room to stand in front of her, Ardeth Bay took the book from her nerveless fingers and put it back on the table. He had not been able to get her out of his head, she was like fire under his skin, and the need to see her had driven him to her house at the earliest opportunity, to climb over the garden wall and through the window. He had only intended to talk to her, to watch and listen to her, to get to know her a little better; telling himself that he could wait for the rest. Who was he kidding, listening to and watching her had not been enough since the day she had noticed him, _truly_ noticed him - not the warrior or the leader, but as a man. And he had a feeling it would never again be enough. And so at the moment her widened eyes landed on him and told him that her feelings were the same, all his noble intentions flew right out the window and Ardeth was left with swift arousal and an irresistible urge to hold her, to love her.

Slowly his hands traveled up her arms, warm and sure, to cup her face. His warm lips, wonderfully soft and firm at the same time, moved against her own in a maddeningly feather light touch, his goatee scraping softly against her skin, making her whimper with frustration. She wanted him to kiss her, to _really_ kiss her like he had that night she had spent in his arms, with the fire and passion that had haunted her dreams, and her fingers delved into and tangled in his hair, tugging him closer. At long last, when she began to despair he'd never deepen the kiss, his hands moved to the back of her head, tilting her head for better access to her mouth. And then he took her mouth in a long, deep, mind-drugging kiss that went on and on, and had her standing on tiptoe to press even tighter against him.

The kiss stripped away all pretense and left them clinging together in open passion, hungry for each other, straining to get even closer. He dug his fingers in her hair and tilted her head back, his mouth slanting over hers, his tongue plundering her mouth in the rhythm of making love. Her tongue curled around his in a heated welcome and she sucked at his tongue daintily, holding him within her mouth. Her taste was sweet and hot, flavored with the strong coffee she had drunk earlier at supper.

Angelina's entire body jolted when his other hand covered her breast, cupping her warmly in his palm through the blouse, flicking his callused thumb over her hardened nipple, simultaneously soothing the ache and creating a deeper one. Her hands restlessly fluttered over him, up and down his back and sides, feeling the muscles bunch and release under her palms through the layers of clothing he was wearing. She couldn't get enough of him.

Blood thundered through his veins, hot and heavy like molten lava, and he pulled her tighter, sliding his arms around her and holding her welded to his body. A low growl sounded deep in his throat, and he drove her backward, forcing her against the paneled wall, pressing against her. He could feel the round firmness of her breasts against his chest, and he knew she could feel the swollen ridge of his erection against the softness of her belly. He felt her shudder, felt the convulsive movement of her hips, blindly seeking, arching into him. She was live fire in his arms, responding wildly to him, and he felt his control slipping. He wanted her, wanted everything - all of her. He wanted to drink her in, fuse them together so they could never be parted. He cupped her buttocks and lifted her, drawing her hips inwards so that his erection was nestled in the soft juncture of her thighs. She rubbed back and forth against him, and her response inflamed his senses and seared his soul and he groaned aloud at the exquisite torture as she moved wildly against him, her mouth passionate and demanding against his.

A door slammed somewhere in the house, the sound loud enough to startle him to break the kiss and he lifted his head at the sound of receding footsteps. Dimly through the lust fogging his mind, he realized that he was on the edge of taking her here, against the wall in the parlor where her housekeeper could walk in on them at any moment. He looked in her passion-glazed eyes, her chest rising and falling heavily and her breath every bit as rugged as his. They had to take this into somewhere private, or stop. His fingers flexed against the soft, resilient flesh of her buttocks and his body near revolted at the thought of letting her go, but somehow he managed it - at least half of it: he slowly lowered her to stand on her own legs, no longer pressed up tight against him. But he couldn't bring himself to take his hands off of her entirely, and instead he closed them on her waist, a hairsbreadth between their bodies. Her gaze was hot and direct as she slowly untangled her fingers from his hair and slid them to rest on his shoulders. He could read what she wanted in her eyes but he needed to hear her say it, he needed to be sure, and wanted her to be sure, that this was what she wanted. Desire clamored through him, hard and overpowering, and he had to swallow twice, hard, before he could finally force his voice to co-operate.

"What do you want? Be certain. Your life, your reputation..." Was the raw need to have her as plain to her as it was to him, he wondered as he waited what she would say, praying that she would want him. The taste of her, the scent and feel of her had haunted his memory these weeks he had been away from her, to the point that he had begun to doubt it all had been only a dream, a figment of his imagination; that making love to her could not possibly have been as sweet as he remembered, her response as intoxicating and generous as he thought.

Ardeth's voice sent shivers down her spine; it was low - like velvet. The raw need she heard in it found an answering pulse deep inside her and her stomach muscles clenched nearly painfully. Eyes darkened nearly to black and hot with desire he waited for her answer, the barely controlled tension emanating from his body rolling in waves over her, heightening her own arousal. She knew what he was doing. So noble and honorable even if it killed him, he was giving her a chance to change her mind, to back off. But _he_ was what she wanted. At the moment she couldn't think of anything else that she could ever possibly want more.

She licked her suddenly dry lips, swollen and tender, and still tingling from his kisses, and then she leaned closer until her mouth was only a breath away from his, nostrils flaring lightly as she drew in his intoxicating scent. He smelled of desert and leather and sandalwood, and something sweet and spicy that she couldn't identify but that was uniquely him. Slowly, as seductively as she knew how, she licked a butterfly light caress over his luscious bottom lip, and dipped briefly in his mouth for a tantalizing taste of coffee and him. The move drew a deep shuddering breath out of him and his hands tightened their grip on her waist, and she shivered delicately but her voice was steady when she spoke.

"I've never cared about my reputation; and I've always lead my life as I see fit - if I didn't, you and I never would've met in the first place. Neither of us is married or engaged so the way I see it, what happens between us - behind closed doors, as long as no one is getting hurt, it's no one else's business but yours and mine. And as for what I want... **you**. I want this, I want **us**... for however long it will last."

The flare of heat in his eyes made her take a sharp breath, and then she had no time to think - she found herself clinging to his wide shoulders as he lifted her into his arms and strode with ground eating strides down the hall. He looked fierce and savagely beautiful, dark eyes glittering with lust for _her_ , Angelina. As if her hands had a will of their own they again slid up to delve into his hair, loving the luxurious thickness and silky texture of the curls sliding between her fingers, massaging his scalp gently, then to his face, tracing the string of hieroglyphs first, then the Arabic with her fingertips. She didn't seem to be able to stop touching him. Feeling giddy and excited Angelina was quickly submerging in the dark tide of desire and anticipation. By the time they reached the door to her room she was shaking with the force of her own emotions. The door slam shut behind them, closing them in a world of their own making where nothing existed but the incredible feelings singing between them. Letting her legs down, Ardeth backed her up against the door, pinning her against the wood. His was breathing fast and hard as he leaned heavily against her, pushing himself into the yielding softness of her body, their bodies pressed together from knees to chest. The feeling was so divine she gave a little moan in the back of her throat.

He delved his fingers into her hair, holding her head cradled in his large, powerful hands, and he took her mouth again in a hot slide of tongues that wrenched a deep groan from both of them. She could feel he was fully aroused, his erection feeling marble hard even through the robes, straining against her belly. Angelina whimpered into his mouth, squirming hungrily against him and tried to lift herself, wanting to cradle that thick ridge in the yielding notch between her legs.

He tore his mouth away from hers, gasping for breath, his chest rising and falling hard with each breath. Angelina licked her lips, tasting him on them, and tugged on the back of his neck to bring him back down to her. Ardeth obliged at once, his mouth hard and devouring as if he couldn't get enough of her, the rough scrape of his goatee adding another sensation to the thrills running up and down her spine. Her nipples rose hard and tight, throbbing with the need to be touched.

Ardeth cupped both of her breasts, roughly kneading them, and the relief was so acute that she made a small keening sound of both pleasure and want but only in the space of a heartbeat that wasn't nearly enough. He knew her need, for his was the same - he jerked open her blouse, sending buttons flying, the small popping sound sounding loud in the silent world they inhabited. A low growl emanated from his chest as he saw the silken chemise under it; barring him from her bare flesh. Impatiently tugging it from under the waistband of her skirt he shoved it up, baring the firm rise of her breasts to his hungry gaze and ravenous mouth. Ardeth wrapped one arm around her bottom and lifted her, his open mouth sliding down her chest, a damp path marking where his mouth had been. A taut nipple popped into his mouth and he sucked hard at it, working it against the roof of his mouth, simultaneously rubbing and tweaking her other nibble between his thumb and finger of his free hand, making her breasts prickle with sharp sensations that had her arching against him violently, inarticulate sounds coming from her mouth. He responded by holding her tighter, gripping her bottom and grinding his erection into the soft mound between her thighs, groaning deeply when she responded wildly, rubbing herself against him.

Angelina whimpered in protest when he abruptly took his mouth away from her and set her down but the whimper turned into a moan as he dropped on his knees in front of her and placing his hands on her hips, nuzzled his face against her stomach. His breath felt warm and moist through the thin layers of her skirt and panties as he rubbed against her like a cat. He planted a kiss on her stomach and looked up at her dark eyes glittering like onyx, silently asking, and receiving, her consent. Liquid heat pooled between her legs as she remembered how he'd made love to her that night - and to her mortification she discovered that the memory still had the power to make hot color flood her face. The grin Ardeth flashed at her as she blushed only made the color on her cheeks burn hotter. Winding his left hand in her skirt, Ardeth lifted it up and to the side while with the other hand he stripped her panties down her legs and made her step away from them. Then he set his mouth on her, lips and tongue working skillfully on her heated and moist womanly core, firing up all her nerve endings in a wild riot and she clutched at his broad shoulders to keep herself from falling under the onslaught of sensation. Gratefully she felt Ardeth's hands gripping her hips, supporting her as she felt herself sliding down the dark slippery tunnel of desire, inexorably hurtling towards climax, unable to hold back or even slow down under his expert ministrations. Half-heartedly she tried to stop him, torn between the desire to climax now and the need to feel him thrust inside her, leaving no part of her untouched. But he was too strong and determined and he knew her body so well. He brought her to the edge and kept her teetering there for an agonizing moment before he sent her over. Her body convulsed in his straining hands and she held his head to the spot, her mouth opening in a silent scream as she plunged blindly into the abyss, arching against his skillful mouth as release pulsed through her entire body in great waves of pleasure.

Dazed from the force of her climax Angelina had barely had time to draw in a breath when Ardeth planted a last kiss on her belly and rose up swiftly. A muscle twitching in his jaw and face grim with arousal, he went to work with frenzied fingers on the fastenings of his belt and robes. Angelina leaned back against the hard wood and tried to catch her breath, but she was already shivering with anticipation - she wanted to feel him inside her, filling her, driving into her. She wanted him with a fierce hunger the climax hadn't satisfied at all; if anything it had only intensified her need. The leather belt - with scimitars and all - landed on the floor with a loud thud, but the knot tying the green sash refused to co-operate and he growled impatiently at it and then at her when she giggled at his fumblings.

"You do it, then."

Still chuckling, she pushed his hands away, and with only slightly trembling fingers undid the knot, unwound the sash from around his trim waist and let it too fell to the floor, already forgotten as they together attacked the lacings of his robes and pants, trading hungry kisses that inflamed their desires even further and played havoc on their self control. Angelina pushed the robes from his body, baring his lean muscular frame to her appreciative gaze. She had a second to roam her eyes over him, admiring the way he was put together, all aroused male, powerful and beautiful, then Ardeth braced her against the door again, pulling her thighs wide and pushing himself between them, his straining manhood pushing upwards, into the folds between her legs. Angelina's head fell back and her eyes closed; she heard her own panting breath as she waited in agonized anticipation for the hard thrust that would fill her emptiness.

Ardeth lifted her up and she hooked her legs around his waist. His hand went between their bodies, his fingers moving with sure knowledge over her slick yearning flesh. Unerringly he found her soft, wet opening and sank one finger deep into her. Angelina shuddered, her arms wrapping tight around his head as that long finger rasped exquisitely sensitive tissues and set off subterranean explosions of pleasure. Her inner muscles eagerly clasped the intruder, tightening, subtly caressing, and Ardeth swore with savage arousal and withdrew his finger, guiding the broad head of his penis into place.

"Look at me," his voice was hoarse almost beyond recognition. _"Look at me."_

Their eyes met - hers wide, his fiercely narrowed - and locked and held as he entered her, thrusting hard and deep. She cried out in pleasure mixed with discomfort - even with the wetness of her climax to ease his way her body accepted him with almost as much difficulty as on their first time together weeks ago. She moaned, shuddering in his arms and he felt her body arch convulsively, in an instinctive effort to accept and adjust to him; he tried to control the movement but it was too late. The sharp, twisting movement impaled her on his rigid shaft, seating him to the hilt, and the hot gloving of her body made him feel like his entire body was exploding. Another low cry wrung from her, this time sharp with pleasure.

"Allah have mercy, you feel incredible," he said, voice grating through clenched teeth, his body held still and tight, desperately trying to keep what self control he still had but he could feel it slipping from him; the undisguised heat in Angelina's eyes pulling him in and the hot, moist, silken glove of her body inviting him to lose himself in her like a siren call.

Angelina's breath came in short choppy pants. The initial pinching discomfort of his entry had faded and now she felt like she was burning up. He filled her so wonderfully, so blissfully thick and hard inside her she thought she would die if he moved - and surely go mad if he _didn't_ move She felt so hot, glowing, the blood boiling in her veins. She tightened her legs around his hips and flexed her inner muscles around his manhood, trying to pull him deeper. Ardeth's entire body flexed and with a guttural sound his hips surged upwards, plunging so deep she gave a helpless scream of pleasure and desire, and in the fierce dark depths of his eyes she saw his control shatter.

He took her with powerful thrusts that made her entire body shudder and initiated a wild response within her. With every upward thrust the heat and tension inside her spiraled, ever tighter and higher, and she moved sinuously with him as they strained for that ultimate pinnacle of ecstasy together. Ardeth briefly freed one hand and reaching down opened the protective fold to expose the little sexual nub that was the center of her delight. He hoisted her a little and spreading her thighs even wider moved deep into her so that he pressed hard against the little nub, and then he began again to thrust. Lightning speared through her body, gathering between her legs. She climaxed hard and fast, sobbing and crying out with the force of her release, her body convulsing and shuddering in his restraining hands. The rhythmic pulsing and squeezing of her silken sheath on his plunging shaft drove Ardeth to the precipice. With a steel-like grip, knowing he would leave marks on her tender flesh but unable to prevent himself, he kept her hips still and thrust hard, once, twice, three times and exploded, spilling his seed deep within her. He bucked heavily, his head thrown back and his neck corded as he shook and pulsed, reaffirming his claim on her. A deep, harsh groan rumbled up from his chest, repeated again and again in time with his pumping hips as he rode out the waves of white hot pleasure, until he stilled completely and sagged heavily in her arms, the wooden door nearly completely supporting them both.

For long moments there was silence, punctuated only by the rapid harshness of their breathing and an occasional little moan or a grunt as nerve endings twitched in the remnants of pleasure. Angelina was dazed, and a little stunned. Ardeth's head rested next to her own against the door and she could feel his hot breath on the skin of her neck. She began to move her palms in slow circles over his back, feeling the texture of his sweat dampened skin, the movement soothing both to him and herself.

After a while they separated and stripped off their remaining clothes - Angelina still had on her blouse, chemise and skirt, Ardeth's pants were pooled around his ankles and he still had his boots on. He propped his scimitars against the wall by the door. Each took a quick shower before climbing to bed where they settled under the cool clean sheets, exhausted but satisfied, and fell asleep content and in peace.

 **FINIS**

... for now


End file.
